Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.
Print this pagePhonics: Watch & Learn
The following are six short video clips that offer you the chance to watch and learn effective phonics activities. The video clips are from Reading Rockets' PBS television series Launching Young Readers.
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To watch a video online without downloading it, click on the "watch video clip" option.§ To watch or download the videos from Google, click on the "download video clip" option.
The Alphabetic Principle
In Houston, the teacher of an advanced kindergarten class connects letters and sounds in a systematic and explicit way. (3:00)
The Sounds of the Alphabet
Listen to the sounds of each letter of the alphabet. (3:00)
Phonemic Segmentation
At J.C. Nalle Elementary School in Washington, DC, a kindergarten teacher learns a technique for teaching students how to identify the individual sounds within a word. (2:00)
Spelling Rules
At DeZavala Elementary School in San Marcos, TX, spelling patterns are easy to learn when they come "alive" for one second grade class. (3:00)
The Importance of the Alphabetic Principle
Reading researcher Dr. Louisa Moats explains the need for understanding the alphabetic principle. (:30)
Phonics vs. Whole Language
Reading researcher Dr. Maryanne Wolf comments on the "Reading Wars" that pitted phonics against whole language. (:30)
§To play this clip, you'll need a copy of the free RealOne Player. Most computers already have it installed, or you can download it now.
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